Mail-bag-delivery apparatus.



'PATENTED MAY 21, 1907.

No. 854,115. v D. SMITH.

' MjAIL'BAG DELIVERY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION IILBD 0012a. 1906. v

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1).. SMITH.

MAIL BAG DELIVERY APPARATUS. APPLICATION 31mm 0018. 1 0a.

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PATEN'L'ED MAY-21, 1907. I

DAVE SMITH, OF VILLISCA IO NA.

MAlL-BAG-DELIVEHY APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

ir' atented May 21, 1907.

Application filed October 8,1906. Serial No. 338,052.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVE SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Villisca, in the county of Montgomery and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag-Delivery Apparatuses; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in mail bagdelivery apparatus for railway cars. The object of the invention is to provide a device of this character by means of which a mail bag may be supported upon a moving car in position to be taken therefrom by a suitable releasing and catching device arranged. at the side of the track, means being provided whereby the bag supporting arm or crane may be easily swung to an inoperative position.

a With the above and other objects in view,

the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and ar rangeinent of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a car and the mail bag receptacle at the side of the tracks, showing the position of the parts immediately before a bag is delivered; Fig. 2 is a similar view of one side of a car, showing the bag holding crane in an inoperative position; Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of the outer end of the mail bag crane, showing the bag holding mechanism in the position it assumes when the bag is delivered; Fig. 4 is a detail vertical sectional view through the outer end of the mail bag crane with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings; Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view through a portion of a car and the outer end of the crane retracting lever, showing the stop block or catch for holding the same in position; and Fig. 6 is a side view of the inner side of the mail bag receptacle or chute and the bag releasing mechanism arranged at the side of the track.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 denotes the bag supporting crane, which is pivotally mounted on one side of the door frame of a car in any suitable manner and consists of -a horizontallydisposed arm or bar 2 suitably braced and supported by an incline brace bar 3, as shown. The inner end of the arm 2 is pivotally mounted. in the lower portion of the bearing bracket 4 secured to ,the side of the door frame, while the lower end of the brace bar 3 is pivotally mounted on a bearing bracket 5, which is also secured to the side of the door frame below the bracket 4.

Pivotally mounted in the upper portion of the bearing bracket 4 is a crane retracting lever 6, which is attached to the arm 2 of the crane by a rope or other flexible connection 7. This connection is of sufhcient length to permit the crane to swing outwardly to a position at right angles to the car. The free end of the lever 6 is adapted to be engaged with a stop block or catch 8 secured to the side of the door frame opposite to the hinged connection of the crane. The block 8 is provided with a notch or recess 9, with which the free end of the lever 6 is engaged, thereby holding the same in position. The block 8 is further provided with a stop shoulder or offset 10, by means of which the lever 6 is prevented from swinging outwardly beyond the catch block when the crane 1 is in an operative position, the crane being thus held by the lever 6 through the connection 7 from mov ing beyond a position at right angles to the car, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. When it is desired to retract the crane or to swing the same to an inoperative position, the end of'the lever 6 is disengaged from. the recess 9 in the catch block 8 and swung inwardly, thereby pulling the crane 1 inwardly to a position within the door-way of the car, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

In the outer end of the arm 2 of the crane is formed a longitudinally-disposed bearing aperture or bore 12, in which is revolubly mounted the shaft 13 of a bag supporting hook 14 arranged on the end of the shaft 13 at the end of the arm 2. In the arm 2 adj acent to the outer end of the same is formed a notch 15 which intersects the passage or bore 12. Secured to the shaft 13 and adapted to work in the notch 15 is a trip arm or bar 16, by means of which the shaft 13 is rocked to move the bag supporting hook 14 in an op erative or inoperative position. The outer end or bill of the hook 14 is adapted to be engaged with a keeper 17 formed on the outer end of the arm 2. The keeper 17 is here shown and preferably consists of a lug 18, which is formed integrally or is suitably connected to the outer end of the arm 2 and is provided in its lower edge with a verticallydisposed notch or recess 19 to receive the outer end of the bill of the hook 14 when the latter is in position for holding the mail bag,

thereby preventing the casual movement or disengagement of the bag from the hook 2.

Arranged at one side of the car track is an upwardly-projecting standard 20, on the upper end of which is secured a right angularlyprojecting arm 21, to the inner side of which is secured a laterally-projecting trip lever22, with which is adapted to be engaged the trip arm 16 on the crane 1. The lever 22 is preferably braced and held in position by an inclined brace bar 23 secured to the arm 21, as shown.

Arranged at one side of the track adjacent to and supported at its upper end by the standard 20 is a mail bag receptacle 24, consisting of a distorted tubular chute 25. The upper end of the chute 25 flares outwardly to form an enlarged opening 26 to receive the mail bag discharged therein by the crane 1, said opening lying in substantially a horizontal plane in position to receive the mail bag when released from the hook onthe end of the arm 2 to the crane by the releasing mechanism on the standard 20. The tubular chute 25 is preferably rectangular in cross section, and in the inner side of the same adjacent to its lowest point is arranged a door 27, through which the mail bag may be removed. The lower end of the chute 25 extends beyond the door 27 and projects upwardly at a slight inclination as shown. The chute 25 is formed in the distorted or irregular manner shown, so that the fall of the mail bag will be broken and the bag conduct-ed gradually to the bottom of the chute.

In operation, assuming the parts to be in the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings with the mail bag support upon the hook 14, as the car approaches the standard 1, the trip lever 22 thereon will engage the upwardly-projecting trip arm 16 on the crane 1, thereby knocking said arm rearwardly and rocking the shaft 13 and the hook 1 1 to a position for discharging or releasing the mail bag therefrom, said bag dropping from the hook 14 into the open upper end 26 of the chute or receptacle 24. The bag, after dropping into the receptacle will slide downwardly therein to the lowest portion of the tube or chute adjacent to the door 27 through which the same is removed.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. A mail bag delivery apparatus comprising a crane pivotally mounted on the side of the car door frame, a shaft journaled in the outer end of said crane, a bag supporting hook arranged on said shaft, a keeper to receive the end of said hook when in an operative position, a trip arm connected to said shaft to turn said hook to a position for releasing the bag, a pivotally-mounted retracting lever, a flexible connection between said lever and said crane, a trip lever arranged at one side of the car tracks in position to engage the trip arm on the crane, and a receptacle adapted to receive the mail bag when discharged from the crane, substantially as described.

2. A mail bag delivery apparatus comprising a frame pivotally mounted on the side of the car door frame, a bag supporting hook mounted on the outer end of the crane, a trip arm connected with said hook to turn the same to a position for discharging the bag, a retracting lever pivotally mounted on the car door frame, a catch block to hold said lever in position, a flexible connection between said lever and the crane, a standard arranged at one side of the car track, a trip lever on the upper end of said standard to engage the trip arm on the crane, and a chute supported by said standard in position to receive the bag when discharged from the crane, substantially as described.

3. A mail bag delivery apparatus comprising a frame pivotally mounted on the side of the car door frame, a bag supporting hook mounted on the outer end of the crane, a trip arm connected with said hook to turn the same to a position for discharging the bag, a retracting lever pivotally mounted on the car door frame, a catch block to hold said lever in position, a flexible connection between said lever and the crane, a standard arranged at one side of the car track, a trip lever on the upper end of said standard to engage the trip arm on the crane, a mail bag receptacle supported by said standard, said receptacle comprising a distorted tube or chute having an enlarged upper end and curved slightly upward at its reduced lower end, and a door arranged in said chute, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DAVE SMITH. Witnesses:

W. J. OVIATT, WM. CHRISTIE, Jr. 

